Sunday, January 6, 2013

The SST Heartbeat

7:42 PM Posted by Abu Ubaidah No comments

The second of January 2013 marked a significant milestone in SST’s history. We were
finally a full school consisting of four different batches. To start off the year with a bang,
SST invited an external percussion company, InRhythm, to our spanking new campus. 800
students waited in the Indoor Sports Hall, feeling a mixture of excitement and uneasiness.
After a brief introduction by InRhythm, the teachers and students were handed percussive
instruments such as drums and Boomwhackers (Tuned percussion tubes). A huge
cacophony of sound resonated throughout the Indoor Sports Hall instantly. The sound was
discordant, yet somewhat energetic and consuming. The mood immediately lightened and
everyone started having immense fun.

Then, the InRhythm facilitators led us on an uplifting musical journey, dividing us into
smaller groups that each played a simple yet upbeat rhythm. The facilitators used hand
gestures to give each group a cue to start playing. With a common pulse, the rhythms of
the different sub-groups were connected and in-sync. The powerful rhythms started to
gather momentum. Full of vim and vigor, we were completely engaged and excited. We
were now a spirited team, an enthusiastic community, a united family, connected and
flourishing. Then, the teachers and students got the final signal to end. With a loud
‘BOOM!’ the room fell silent, followed by thunderous applause.

With the guidance of the talented InRhythm facilitators, we also played the famous song
‘Ode to joy’ with the percussive instruments. In retrospect, it was amazing how we had
learnt a legendary song in less than fifteen minutes. It was only made possible because of
our teamwork. The short percussion session left us feeling united, inspired, energised and
ready to take on the new schooling year with zest. It was indeed a remarkable and
dynamic way to start off 2013.

Meredith Teo Shuyi
S2-07